Mixed Grill (Spiedo Misto)

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless pork loin

1 pound boneless beef or veal loin

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts
Coarse salt -- to taste
Coarsely-ground black pepper -- to taste

3 garlic cloves -- peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium bell peppers -- cut 2" squares = (an assortment of red, green, and/or yellow)

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 thick slices pancetta or prosciutto -- cut in 1" squares

1 small bunch fresh sage -- leaves only

3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage -- cut into chunks

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Colavita extra-virgin olive oil -- as needed

Cut the meats and chicken into 1-inch cubes.  Season the pork with coarse salt and pepper and rub with the garlic; season the beef or veal with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sage; season the chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the rosemary.  Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the peppers until just crisp-tender.  Add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.

Thread the skewers in this order: Pork, bell pepper, chicken, pancetta, sage leaf, veal, bell pepper, and sausage.  Do not crowd the pieces.  Place the skewers in a nonmetal dish large enough to hold them in a single layer and drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over them.  Let them marinate for several hours in the refrigerator, basting and turning them often.

Heat the grill and lightly oil the grill rack.  Remove the skewers from the marinade, place them on the grill, and baste with the marinade.  Grill, turning and basting the skewers, until done to taste, about 8 to 12 minutes.

This recipe yields 8 servings.

Comments:  At a rustic outdoor ristorante called La Stalla (the name means "stable"), everything on the menu was cooked in the classic Umbrian style, alla griglia, grilled on an open fire.  We sat under a grape arbor at tables covered with red-and-white-checked cloths.  When the spiedo misto came to the table smelling of fresh herbs and wine, it was the perfect ending to a long day.

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